Zelda: Restoration
by Paisley Park Provincial
Summary: Times have changed in Hyrule. The Royal Family is no more, the Sheikah have been destroyed, and the land is ruled by an evil priest. As a cataclysmic event draws nearer, is there any hope for the once proud land? Loose WW/ST connections.
1. Preface: Cosmogony

**Zelda: Restoration**

Preface: How the Gods came to be and came to depart.

From Hyrule's Cosmogony and Early History, a work by Dr. Potho of the Foliean academy.

_In the early days of the new land, the three goddesses dwelt within New Hyrule and amongst its people. All were in awe of Din's power, Nayru's Wisdom and the Courage of Farore. Yet despite the great joy that defined their relationship with the settlers of the land, the Goddesses felt unfulfilled. Like those who worshipped them, they too sought solace in the bonds of intimacy. The first to find love was Farore, who true to her nature eloped with the Hylian Saerus, whose courage was unmatched throughout the land. Nayru was to follow shortly after, discovering in the deepest forests a man by the name of Mont, who sought little more than the pursuit of further knowledge._

_Yet mighty Din was unable to find one to which she truly wished to devote herself, and her sisters refused to marry until their beloved sister had also found true love. She searched far and wide, from mountainous peak to deepest valley, and yet no man was able to truly capture her heart. Whilst scouring the caves near the sea, Din finally grew weary of searching and declared herself bereft of the wish to find one to marry. However, even a Goddess is often at mercy to the twists of fate. No sooner had mighty Din proclaimed her search forlorn when she came upon a human, an unconscious sailor whose limp body lay washed up, perched perilously between the various rocks that formed the cave. _

_As Din moved to help the man, she noticed not only that he was not of this land, but also that he was the most beautiful man she had ever laid her eyes upon. As she nursed him back to health, the two grew to understand and love one another, man and deity united by love. The man was named Geru, and his power was unmatched by any, either within his homeland or the land of New Hyrule, which he adopted as his own when he and his Goddess were matched._

_When all the Goddesses married, they were congratulated not only by their own people, but by the various other deities and races found throughout New Hyrule. The ceremony itself was conducted by the Great Deku Tree, whose sprout had been transported to the land in the years following the voyage of the Hero of Winds and the Great Queen Tetra which culminated in the discovery and foundation of the land of New Hyrule. As the Tree bequeathed his grace upon the happy couples, he was assisted by his faithful Koroks, who still honoured their great protector, and also the little Deku scrubs, the lonely, godless beings whom were adopted by the ever benevolent guardian upon his arrival in the New Land. _

_Young Gor was there also, the Goron God whose strength was matched only by his passion for music. He played his harp and his people their drums to commemorate the sacred day, conveying their regards and strengthening the bonds that existed between themselves and the Hylians. In the water of the sacred grove was Jabun, the Great Fish, who also wished to commemorate the great day. A few Rito attended with the Dragon King Valoo, who wished to project his bountiful wishes upon the newlyweds, despite he and his people having remained upon the Great Sea at Dragon Roost Island._

_The final deity present was Il-S-Pa, God of the Sheikah, who stood as guard of honour on the orders of the King. They numbered few, but the Sheikah's presence added but more gravitas to the already sacred occasion. After the Deku Tree had concluded his ceremony and all were rejoicing, Il-S-Pa sought out the Goddesses and their grooms, and with the King alongside him, swore everlasting allegiance and solidarity to the Hylian people, the Hyrulian Royal Family, and the wondrous deities of the great new land._

_Shortly after their bonds were cemented, each couple was honoured with the gift of impending parenthood. Each goddess was to give birth almost simultaneously, and the land celebrated the arrival of these infant deities. Farore bore a daughter, who came to be known as Maximiliana. To Nayru, the fates decreed it that she should be given the responsibility of bearing twins, a pair of boys named Brearer and Folder, who instantly became devoted to both one another and their parents, who shared in this instant and depthless love. Finally, Din was the proud mother of a young boy, who was named Talor by his father Geru, in honour of a great hero from his homeland. _

_Over the next few years, the Goddesses were blessed several more time by the child spirits. Farore and Saerus were to have two more children. Both were male, and they were named Gregal and Dorilineus respectively. Din and Geru had another child shortly after, and this one was named by the infant's mother, who placed upon him the name of Narm. The final child of the Great Goddesses belonged to Nayru and Mont, a young boy by the name of Keat, who tragically and through no fault of his own it must be said, was unable to create the instantaneous and unbreakable bond which had formed between his parents and twin siblings upon their birth._

_The couples and their children lived together in harmony throughout their infancies as parent and children alike. It soon became clear to Farore that her children would prove to be very much independent. All three of them sought out new lands and new ideas, and as they matured, each one left New Hyrule so that they could explore the great world which lay beyond their home shores. Of Farore's three children, only Dorilineus would ever return to New Hyrule permanently. Maximiliana ventured South West, and finally discovered the lands of the Cobble people. Whilst she dwelt there, appreciating the luxuries that this new continent had to offer, she fell in love with Bremer, the Cobble god of Masonry, and as such chose to remain in the land permanently, her wishes having been blessed by both her parents and her surrounding family. _

_A similar scenario was also to befall Gregal. Although he did return to New Hyrule after roving the Northern Lands, Gregal sought out an even greater destination, the sky. As such, Gregal and a select group of followers departed New Hyrule and set sail for the Fractured Isles, whereupon they found the portal which connects the Earth and the Sky, and passed between the two realms so that they could master the ways of the land above. They became known as the Wind Tribe._

_Yet faithful and courageous Dorilineus would not abandon the land of his youth. After having explored the Kingdoms of the Southern Seas and traversed the entire mass of the South Eastern Archipelago, Dorilineus returned to Hyrule, bringing back with him many exotic items and products, a set of actions which helped found the great trading links that exist to this day between New Hyrule and the assorted lands that he explored. Upon his return, Dorilineus founded the great city of Tares, at the foot of the southern coast. To the many seafarers throughout the land he became their patron deity, and he lived amongst the people within the port city. He was a constant source of happiness to his parents, who now relied upon only sporadic interaction with Dorilineus' other siblings, because of the distance between them._

_The twin children of Nayru were also to remain in New Hyrule. Moving to the South West of the country, Brearer and Folder inherited the wisdom of their parents, and used it to learn the ways of the land and the sea. Brearer produced crops of unrivalled growth and quality, whereas Folder researched the ways of the tides, the seasons and the creatures which dwelt in the sea. He learnt the ways of the Fisherman, and both of the twins worked in harmony to provide both themselves and their people with bountiful stocks of food. The followers of the two were as inseparable as the twins themselves, and built two cities which connected to one another via passages which lay both above and below the ground. These cities were named Brea and Folie, and each one assisted the other whenever it was necessary._

_The God Keat was affectionate towards his brothers, as they were to him, but understood that he could never fully obtain a bond as deep as those which existed between the other members of his family. Yet this did not trouble him overtly. Keat was blessed with the gifts of both beauty and charm, and used these to the extent that any young man would do. The adolescent God was also, as one would expect from the son of Nayru and Mont, particularly intelligent and skilled, especially in the art of subterfuge. Keat was able to enter and exit any region, town or building without a trace, a skill quite fitting for a man without a place to call home. Whilst this remained good natured, and the God considered his deceit little more than a large-scale source of folly, his parents were somewhat concerned at the ambiguous nature that such a gift entailed._

_Din and Geru felt blessed by their two sons. Although they did not have a female child, such as Farore, or a pair of twins like Nayru, the two of them were unconcerned, as both Talor and Narm were a gift which neither of them had ever expected when at their lowest ebb. Both sons were loved, and the boys loved each other, even if the elder Talor did hold the superior physical prowess in the early years. Over time each sibling began to develop the great power which lay within them. Talor was the master of the shield, whereas his brother was unmatched in the ways of the sword. Neither could defeat the other when they sparred, and each one respected the others power._

_Unfortunately this peace was not to last. As time passed, Narm grew restless. He wished to use his great power to conquer other lands, and find worshippers anew for himself and his brother. Talor however did staunchly reject such a policy, and left the great city of Hyrulis in protest, where until this time the pair had lived together. His destination was the North West of the continent, where he established the great warrior academies of Sal-Ordon and Mal-Talor. He was joined in his pilgrimage by both the royal family and the Sheikah, who feared the ever-antagonistic Narm. This exodus quelled the unrest between the two for a period, and an uneasy peace reigned once more._

_Narm continued to believe that he was right and that his people should become both known and feared throughout the world. He began to bond with his youngest relative Keat, and the two spent much of their time together. Meanwhile Talor became inseparable from Impassh, the daughter of Il-S-Pa. Over time Impassh persuaded Talor to seek a truce with his brother, and so the Great Defender sent his friend to visit Narm in the hope that they could agree to a meeting between one another._

_When Impassh arrived in Hyrulis, she found the Master Swordsman in a terrible rage, a madness which was beginning to invade the inner depths of his mind. The Sheikah's speech did not change Narm's mood. He berated his brother for refusing to come himself, and laid upon him every insult he was able to proclaim. When Impassh began to chastise him for this, he turned his rage upon her, and struck the maiden with his sword, the almighty Kal-Narm. She was killed instantly, yet the significance did not register upon the God of Power until his rage began to clear. Upon having to confront what he had done, Narm panicked, knowing that he had strayed into depths of sin from which he could now never be absolved. He immediately began to gather up his followers so that he could escape east, to the land of Xexionia. He demanded his cousin Keat join him, but the God of Deceit had fled the court of Hyrulis almost as soon as he witnessed the terrible act just described. He toyed with his conscience for many an hour, before deciding to tell his cousin Talor of what had occurred._

_When Keat reached Mal-Talor and recounted this set of events, he found himself set upon by the son of Din, who struck him, scarring his beautiful face, and poured scorn upon his actions, for his delayed arrival had provided Narm with the time to form a plan of action (Talor was unaware of Narm's flight at this point). Keat felt betrayed by this, as he had not laid a finger upon dear Impassh, and so fled to reside in the great forest that surrounded Hyrulis and its surrounding area. Talor meanwhile struggled with his vow never to wage war upon another except in defence. His hatred for his brother festered every day, and it was only the council of Il-S-Pa and the King which contained his rage. However, his passion for revenge did not renege. _

_He did not have to wait for long. When Narm arrived in Xexionia, he found the people very receptive towards him, as they had been outcasts of the Gods throughout the world for many generations. They worshipped Narm, and declared him their king. Narm's shame at his actions began to erode, and in his mind he began once more to turn his scorn upon his brother, who had caused him to flee his home in fear. So it was to be that the God who had wished for nothing more than to conquer foreign lands formulated plans for the invasion of his own._

_Luckily the Sheikah spy network reached as far as Xexionia, and the information was relayed to the Hyrulians in good time. Talor himself was delighted, as it gave him a pretext for revenge, and while the other deities were not pleased at the prospect of war, they acknowledged its inevitability. As such, all the gods and all the people prepared themselves for hostilities, from the fishermen of Brea to the Zoras and Gorons of the mountains and lakes. Even Gregal was summoned to return to the Earth, which he did with three hundred of his best archers. _

_Keat refused to offer his help though, as he would not forgive his brother for the humiliation he had suffered at his hand. He remained within his forest, a God without a people. The Great Deku Tree also refused to give help, as he feared for the safety of his Koroks and Dekus. He provided a seed, which he said would prove helpful in the event of the war's successful aftermath, if it was indeed so, before sealing himself and his creatures within an alternate space. It is said that he provided a certain individual the instructions as to how he could be retrieved, yet it is unknown whether this is true. The Deku Tree has remained separated from us to this day._

_Narm invaded via the River Vren, on the East Coast of New Hyrule. His army was great both in numbers and strength and his own power almost unmatched, yet he let his now everlasting rage cloud his tactics. Despite the vast land that he wished to conquer, Narm marched straight towards the lands of the North West and his brother Talor. By doing so, he left the rear of his army exposed, and marched at a pace which tired his army greatly. This meant that when Narm and the Hyrulian Alliance did finally meet in battle, the Xexionians were surrounded and forced to fight three separate armies at once. _

_The Battle of Paisley's Plain was fought in the autumn of c.3481. The Hyrulian force was split into three. Following up the Xexionian rear were the Gorons, Zoras and pikemen of Dorilineus. Attacking from the opposing army's left were the forces of Folder and Brearer . These men, untrained in the arts of war, were poorly equipped to fight, but wished to defend their land none the less. They were assisted by a tiny number of Cobble people, who had come to their allies' aid at short notice. The main and final body of the Hyrulian force was that which met Narm and the Xexionians head on. It was made up of the great soldiers of Talor, ably assisted by the Sheikah and Wind Tribe troops._

_The events of the battle are various, and I do not wish to explain them in detail here (see my other books for these references), yet the general details are, to this day, still known to almost all. For hours the battle raged, the Xexionians fighting hard but in vain as they attempted to fulfil the need for conquest that so engulfed their lord Narm. In desperation the God himself flung himself to the front of the battle, carving through the warriors of Talor before his brother stepped before him to offer single combat. Just as in their youth, the pair were almost perfectly matched. Yet it was Talor who kept hold of his rage more successfully, and who was able to strike the decisive blow. He did so with a weapon made by the hand of Il-S-Pa, the only man capable of creating a weapon which could truly wound Narm. _

_The Master Swordsman was struck down, and his body was turned to stone. Talor's sword broke upon impact, the only trace of it to remain stuck within his brother's body. The battle was won and the land was at peace again. Yet it was not a victory without cost. Shamefully, many of the remaining Xexionians were slaughtered, and those that escaped fled back home, defeated and in despair at the fate of their great leader. The Hyrulians had also lost many men. However, the true cost of the battle was felt by the Gods. They realised that the land they had grown to love so much could be destroyed in its entirety if they were to ever feud again, and so decreed that they must depart from it._

_Before they did so, the Gods addressed the issue of their problem child, Narm. Although petrified by the blade forged by Il-S-Pa, he was not truly dead. As such, the Gods decided to seal him within a great tomb, which they constructed on the unnamed Island which lies between New Hyrule and Xexionia (now named Narm's Island). Around the tomb they planted the seed given to them by the Great Deku Tree, which sprouted instantly, and enveloped the tomb with all sorts of barely penetrable foliage. _

_Following this, the God's preparations were almost complete. Before departing permanently however, they declared that should the tomb ever need to be opened, there would be a way for one to do so. To the one they loved most, each God gave a special item which was symbolic of their contribution to the land. Talor gave his shield, Dorilineus his compass, Brearer his hoe, Folder his rod, Gregal his bow, Gor his harp, Jabun his lantern and Il-S-Pa his hammer. Each of the three Mother Goddesses also shed a single tear made of a precious stone. If these items were all placed in front of Narm's tomb, the door would once more swing open and reveal its inner depths to the outside world._

_With that the Gods departed amongst much mourning, all except for Keat, who remained within his forest, an outcast. After their departure, the Great King Daltus moved his court and the Sheikah back to Hyrulis, and began to establish it as one of the grandest cities in the known world. He also declared the worship of Narm was forbidden throughout the land._

_Such is the way that our land came to be the way it is. Much strife was involved, but we are a people who are now, for the most part, at peace, and long may it be so._


	2. Misty Tares

**Chapter One: Misty Tares**

Mist. For anyone who knew the ways of life on the southern coast, the autumnal mist was perhaps the easiest thing to predict of all. Some summers were particularly warm, some winters particularly cold, but the mist never changed. At the same time each year, the dense clouds would almost chase the remaining heat of summer from the region, engulfing every jetty, harbour and quay both at the day's genesis and its conclusion with thick, semi-opaque mist. Tavern owners rubbed their hands in glee at the extended hours their patrons would spend drinking the night away, whilst any merchants who had delayed launching their ships full of produce were forced either to wait until the next sailing season arrived, or risk his wallet finding men brave (or foolhardy) enough to risk the potentially lethal late-year seas. Though in all honesty the great dockyard was these days almost empty, and the majority of the goods passing through were destined to be sold on the black market.

It was ridiculous then, young Alarius thought to himself, as he trudged down one of the cobbled streets which led to the port, that he had to spend his life in a city which was dragging itself further and further into irrelevance. Even more ridiculous was the fact that his parents had ever thought that this was the place where they wanted to build their lives upon his birth. That is, of course, before the pair of them had decided to die on him, leaving him with almost nothing in manner of money or possessions. All of this had happened prior to any period he could remember though.

"Why don't I leave?" he thought to himself as the mist decided to ally itself with a downpour of rain, which had the automatic effect of quickening the pace of everyone who was not indoors. Everyone that is except for Alarius, who simply looked up at the grey expanse above, exhaled exasperatedly, and pulled his hood over his head. To him, the inconvenience of the rain was nothing compared to the hassle that people sprinting around him in narrow streets provided, who were seemingly unable to combine increased speed with the ability to avoid bumping into other people. As if to confirm these musings, no sooner had Alarius turned his gaze back to the street, he had to step briskly around two men jogging towards him. Sliding elegantly out of their way, the young man shifted himself to the side of the road, where it was slightly less congested.

What was he thinking about again? Ah yes, the daily thoughts he gave towards leaving Tares. Yet Alarius knew that these were nothing more than idealised fantasies, at least for the moment. He owed far too much to Alfonzo, both sentimentally and morally, had relatively little money, no horse, no weapon, no contacts, and no real clue of what he wanted to do. In fact, thinking about such things did little other than make the young man even more depressed. Doing his best to clear the mind of such pointless ruminations, Alarius continued walking sedately towards his destination, which he reached within a few minutes. He weaved his way through a couple of side streets, crossed very briefly over one of the main throughways, pausing momentarily to take a look at the not-so-distant harbour, before ducking once more into the narrow mini-labyrinth of side streets, shooting down an alleyway and opening a dark green door, though by now enough paint had probably peeled for said door to qualify as brown. This door was the entrance to the tavern known as "The Wolfo".

Upon entering, Alarius was greeted by the sight of the aforementioned Alfonzo. Of course to Alarius the sight was very much a normal one, but for the uninformed and unaware, first setting eyes on Alfonzo was a very intimidating task. Standing at well over six foot, with a shaven head and a frame to match his height, Alfonzo was a man who seldom chose to confront. The mini-colossus turned his head at the noise of the door opening, nodding his approval at Alarius' arrival. The young man had not yet removed his hood, but his black robes and light blue hood were known to Alfonzo almost as well as his own garments.

The room in which this pair made their silent greeting was the main room of the bar belonging to and managed by Alfonzo, ably assisted as he was by Alarius. Despite its time-ravaged door and isolated location, the establishment's interior was grander than one might have imagined. There were a good number of wooden tables of varying sizes and shapes, each supporting their allotted chairs, which lay on top, providing the space necessary to clean up each morning. All this furniture was elegantly carved, and many a cushion lay behind the bar if needed. The bar itself stretched along much of the building's far left wall, jet black in colour, with several stools littering the area just in front. The roof of the structure was relatively low, though there was a second floor, and the whole structure was held up by a series of sturdy wooden beams, which Alfonzo had taken to decorating in his spare time.

After taking in a sharp breath, Alarius removed his hood, and placed his wet coat above the fire, which was already very much alive despite it only being mid-morning. The young man that had previously dwelt under these wet garments was now fully visible, and although he was not as striking as his boss, he cut an impressive figure none the less. Standing slightly over six foot, Alarius was blessed with a pair of depthless blue eyes, and full, pale lips to complement his impressive physique. His nose was rather narrow, although not abnormally so, and the tone of his skin matched that of his lips.

What stood out most to the interested observer though was Alarius' hair. Its length was by no means unique, evenly cut as it was to a short grade around the head. Yet to contrast this, one would look upon the colour of the hair in question and at once be intrigued, for it contained a stripe the colour of silvery turquoise , closer perhaps to white rather than blue, but clearly different to the hair colour that most of us carry. Alarius had no explanations for this mini-phenomenon, but it rarely concerned him, especially when the local girls commented on just "_how cool_" it was.

With a minimal hand movement that signified a "hello", Alarius walked over to the bar and placed the little bag that he had been carrying over in front of Alfonzo, opening it as he did so. Inside were a large number of seeds, jagged edged with green and purple patterns upon them. Boka Baba seeds, used in many potions in times of old, and now as an illegal way of getting inebriated. As with many of the establishments in the economically deprived Tares, the black market was an important source of income. Alfonzo had been in the game for many years, and The Wolfo was known throughout the city as one of the premier establishments for procuring seeds, potions and any other such items which one could not usually procure by strictly legal means.

There was the odd raid carried out by the Tareian law enforcement agencies from time to time, but these rarely led to anything, usually because of one of Alfonzo's many moles providing him with a heads up. In reality, this was a result which worked out well for both parties. Alfonzo was able to continue to run The Wolfo relatively hassle free, whilst the city police and coastguard could continue to at least give the impression of caring about smuggling. Indeed, it was really in the law's interests for The Wolfo to stay open, as many of its regulars were men whose reputations preceded them. Alfonzo was one of the few who could keep them in check, and any closure of Tares' most popular vagabond locale would lead to a significant number of troublemakers seeking new drinking holes.

Anyway, I digress. Alarius placed the seeds on the table, and then looked up at his boss. Alfonzo looked briefly enough only to confirm the presence of the seeds, before he put the bag under the table.

"Same price I assume?" he asked Alarius

"Yeyeh" was the reply. "I mean, Balt is telling me that shipping is getting harder because of the new season and all that rubbish, but he's clearly lying. I know for a fact that most of the produce comes from within a hundred miles max, so any ships can coast-hug. In addition to that, he could bring it over by cart and transport it that way if he's so concerned about the money; in fact I'm pretty sure he does that anyway. When I pointed out that this would actually mean less production costs and therefore an incentive to drop his prices, he soon shut up. Same as usual, quantity, price, and one of the few things we can rely on Balt for is a quality product."

Alfonzo nodded silently, and thought to himself just how good his protégé was at dealing with the various characters that one inevitably encounters when dealing in the black market. He had no doubt that Alarius' physical presence was a help, but the young man had something else. A steeliness to his voice when he needed it, an intelligence which matched that of many of the most successful businessmen he had ever known, and an almost other-worldly approach to the whole process of negotiation. When Alfonzo considered Alarius' lineage, this was not really at all surprising. Men like him became what they did for a reason. He did not express any of this explicitly of course, but the thoughts were very much present in his experienced mind.

After this discussion on the local economic outlook, Alarius went to hang his wet clothes by the fire, before joining Alfonzo in preparing the tavern for the day's proceedings. The rain outside seemed to be getting heavier as the time passed, and the noise of spattering water grew louder and louder as the morning progressed. Over time, Alfonzo decided that it would make sense for him to check The Wolfo's upper floors, in case any leaks were about to spring or had already been sprung. He went upstairs and left Alarius to finish off the day's preparations, which were minimal, simply the removal of the chairs from their respective tables back onto the floor. Just as he was finishing this, Zuko entered. Zuko was the tavern's cook, and his dedication to arrive on time (or at least within ten or so minutes of it) had led to him getting thoroughly soaked during his journey. Not wanting his colleague to be in a bad mood all day, Alarius swiftly brought him a warm drink, before sitting down on a chair and pulling out the local newspaper.

It was not long before his peace was disturbed by the sound of the front door closing. Looking over his copy of the Tareian Tablet, Alarius saw a man standing just inside the entrance of the tavern. At first, Alarius wondered how on earth he had not heard the man enter until the door was fully closed. Admittedly he had been quite engrossed in the paper, but the front door had been squeaking for years, yet this male, who was of reasonable stature and weight, had been able to enter as if invisible. However, this thought did not linger for any period of time, because Alarius' initial surprise turned to admiration as he laid his eyes upon the figure who had just entered.

Despite his regular and vocal protestations to the contrary, Alarius knew that he was a rather vain and materialistic man. He thought that he was relatively good looking, and he _knew_ that he was one of the sharpest dressers in town (although there was not much competition in that regard), and he often judged people early on based on their looks and style, though Alfonzo was of course the exception to this. As such, he could not help but be impressed by the sight of The Wolfo's latest customer.

The man was probably in his early to late fifties, wearing a pair of black shoes, made it seemed of velvet. They were elegantly shaped around the heel and pointed at the toe, whilst the sole was barely visible to the naked eye. As his eyes moved up to the body, Alarius studied the man's shapely black trousers, his well-cut maroon jacket, his graceful silken gloves and black cape, slightly damp as it was from the rain. These garments were capped both metaphorically and literally by the dark cavalier hat which lay on top of the visitor's head. Indeed, the look would have been almost ridiculous if the owner of the ensemble had not been so well built for the clothes he wore, or had he not been blessed with a remarkably attractive face, made perhaps even more impressive by the two minor yet visible scars that lay on his right cheek.

Beginning to realise that he had probably been staring for too long, Alarius briefly averted his gaze so that he could place his newspaper on the table. He spoke as he did so.

"Hello, can I help you?"

"I certainly hope so" replied the stranger, removing his hat to reveal head of thick black hair, cut to a medium length and complimented by a pair of very smartly trimmed sideburns which extended some half way down his cheeks. "I'm looking to eat here, could that be arranged?"

Alarius looked up at the clock and saw that it was quarter to twelve, fifteen minutes before they officially started serving food at The Wolfo. Making a funny sound with his lips, he turned back round to the visitor and motioned him towards a table.

"Yes it can, no problem. Just pick a seat wherever and tell me what you'd like. Give me a minute and I'll grab a menu. Would you like a drink?"

"Yes, please. A pint of Labrynna Ale if possible, if you don't have that then I'll get a Halperia"

"It will have to be the Halperia I'm afraid, no real luck getting any Labrynnian produce at the moment". Alarius was lying when he said this. Labrynnian Ale was indeed available to The Wolfo's customers, but as with many things one obtained from Labrynna these days, it was smuggled. As such, Alfonzo advised his staff never to serve such drinks to customers who were not regulars, for fear of them being undercover officers and the like.

"Oh well, that's no problem. Halperia is fine".

Alarius crossed over to the bar, neatly levering himself over it as he couldn't be bothered to walk around. Within a few minutes he had brought the customer his drink, taken his order of Looner fish with potatoes, and woken the sleeping Zuko from his nest in the kitchen. As he took up his position behind the bar and began to read the newspaper once more, Alarius glanced over from time to time to the smartly dressed man on the table nearest the far wall, who himself was reading a book, though Alarius could not make out what it was. As he glanced back and forth, Alarius got to thinking.

Just how had the man been able to open and close the door without his knowledge? Alarius could not figure it out, and in the end simply concluded that the rain coming down on the roof must have deadened the noise caused by the door opening. Anything to avoid admitting a failure on his part. The door incident frustrated Alarius slightly, but what was driving him mad was his inability to place any kind of identity or personality on this man. His clothes suggested he was not from Tares. Tares was dirty, wet, cold, and the only people who would be seen wearing those kind of clothes were the very small number of rich officials who lived in the higher area of town, who avoided the seafront at all costs. Yet these nobles were almost extinct in Tares nowadays, having all emigrated to Kardopolis in the north east.

What else could he be? His clothing was too ostentatious, especially if one considered that the whole point of smuggling was to draw the minimum amount of attention to yourself. Alarius was completely at a loss, which was especially exasperating, as there was something about the man which was somewhat familiar too. Even so, Alarius could not dredge up any worthwhile memories on the subject, and so decided to drop all notions of pretence and address the suave gentleman directly. As he was cleaning up the remnants of his meal, Alarius addressed the gentleman.

"Excuse me sir, would you mind if I asked you whether this is your first time in the establishment?"

"Of course I wouldn't" was the reply. "This is, I'm happy to say, not my first visit to this tavern. My name is Horos. I spend much of my time away from Tares, but I am good friends with this establishment's owner, Alfonzo. As such, whenever I am present in this city, I take the opportunity to get drunk at reduced prices available only through a longstanding relationship with one of Tares' most reputable businessmen." The final two words were said in a very suggestive tone, the stranger beaming a smile at Alarius as he did so.

"That's it!" thought Alarius as the man explained himself. He could place it now. The man had been in the tavern before, though not for many years, and he had spent hours and hours talking with Alfonzo at the time. Alarius had no idea how he remembered that, but he relayed this information back to the man in the maroon jacket.

"Ah yes, that must have been some...six years ago? My, how time flies. Alfonzo has often acted on my behalf, and he has never let me down. Speaking of which" he said, as the sound of footsteps emerged on the floor above the tavern's main bar area, "I believe he may be about to grace us with his presence right now".

As predicted, a few seconds later, the burly frame of Alfonzo entered. As soon as he caught sight of Horos, Alfonzo strode purposefully across the room, and embraced his long-time friend as he rose to greet him. Alarius could see the genuine affection that the pair had for each other.

"Horos, you decrepit old shyster! I wish I could say it was good to see you, but I'm afraid we no longer tolerate over the hill alcoholics in this place. People like you just bring our reputation down you know?"

Horos chuckled, before making a rather pointed remark about the owner's own reputation that is probably too explicit to print here. These insults continued for a period, before Horos pointed out that his mug was empty. Alfonzo's response was to disappear briefly and return with a full keg of the Labrynnian Ale which Alarius had previously denied was available. For the next few hours the pair were inseparable, trading insults, laughing uproariously, and generally creating enough noise so that someone walking past the outside of the tavern would have assumed the place was almost full.

During this period Alarius just went about his work. As the day progressed a few customers came into the tavern, mainly for a post-work beverage. Business tended to only really pick up in the evening, when the city's notorious felt safe enough to walk freely through the streets. In general, it was just a normal day, with the rather large exception of the arrival of Horos, and the drinking contest which he and Alfonzo were now engaging in.

After finishing their second keg, the drinkers were beginning to look a little worse for wear. Alarius couldn't help but be amused by the trouble that his boss was having in standing up properly. He couldn't help but be amused even more when he heard the sounds of a man throwing up in the toilets located in the rooms behind the bar. He had seen Alfonzo drink before many a time, but he had certainly never seen him out drunk, and certainly not by a man whose build was significantly slighter than the pillar-like structure that was Alfonzo, and although Horos was also very drunk, he was by no means as bad as Alfonzo.

When Alfonzo returned, he looked a little more stable, tough his face was as white as a sheet. Horos too was beginning to regain some of his original grace and poise, though not much. Alfonzo then led the latter towards the door, shook his hand, and opened the door so that his old friend could depart. Following this, he strode back over to Alarius, and leant over to speak softly into his ear.

"He'll be back tonight, and I'm gonna need you to help him out."

"A deal?"

"Sort of. You'll be collecting something together. To be honest Ally I'm not sure of the exact details, and I'm sorry to send you out again on a night like this, but he says it's pretty important, you know?"

"Yeah yeah it's not a problem. Think I'll enjoy hearing about some of your other drinking exploits from him anyway" Alarius said with a wry smile.

"Ha, well, just so you know, I was going easy on him"

"Hmmm. Can only hope you've gone as easy on the toilet" was Alarius' cheeky response, a speech coupled with a quick jump out of the reach of the paws that Alfonzo had as hands.

Alfonzo pretended to lunge towards the amateur comedian, before smiling broadly and informing him that he was just heading outside for a minute. Alarius responded with an action that attempted to be both a shrug and a nod, but wasn't really either. Alfonzo subsequently departed, ducking as he had to under the frame of the door because of his significant height.

Alarius smiled to himself as he watched the big man leave. He really was grateful to Alfonzo, and if the man chose to get heinously drunk from time to time, who could blame him? For the best part of thirty years he had helped keep the peace in what could often be a volatile city, and whilst his financial dealings were by no means completely legitimate, they never harmed anybody. He owed Alfonzo for the roof over his head, for the money he had to spend, and for the sporadic adventure that the backstreet shenanigans he did for the ageing man brought to his otherwise mundane life. On days like this, Alarius thought, I guess Tares isn't the worst place in the world.

As Alfonzo left the tavern, he walked briskly down the alleyway, before turning left into an even smaller enclave, a one way street which by this hour was engulfed in shadow, as the sun's final rays of the day were drawing in their heat. As he entered the space he whistled two times, sharply and briefly. Immediately from the shadows a figure emerged. It was Horos, who had sobered up particularly quickly in the chilly evening air. Lighting a Boko Baba joint, he moved close to Alfonzo and spoke in a hushed tone.

"You sobered up quickly."

"As did you." Alfonzo smiled.

"Oh, I can assure you that I'm certainly feeling it, but I've had enough of these to know how to deal with them". At this point Horos' tone changed quite dramatically. "He knows about tonight then?"

"Yes. He's very much game"

"I assume he still knows nothing about the nature of our task?"

"Of course not, he's as ignorant as the day you brought him. I was beginning to wonder when you'd show though. He's been ready for months. I can feel the talent that flows through him. He could be running the city single handed if he just applied himself."

"This is true. I've had the feeling that he's been ready for months. In fact, the only person who hasn't been ready for the past few months has been me. I've been shooting from one place to the next, reading this book, locating this person. Things are moving very quickly."

"And you're sure that he's the one?"

"He must be. Aluura is sure of her boy's potential, as is Swiftblade. She hates the child, but admits that he is the one. If that is the case, and I'm sure it is, then our young Alarius is the next one, and both of our projects will soon be brought to fruition."

"Hmmm. I guess the wheels of destiny are beginning to turn."

"Right you are, old friend. Profound as ever. You understand that I say this whenever I visit, but tonight may very well be the last time we see one another, you understand?"

"I know. We can but hope otherwise, but I am ready. As is he."

"Good. Well then old friend, I shall see you but briefly in a few hours. I'm sure the Great Explorer will be very proud."

Alfonzo's response to this was little more than a nod. Their conversation over, the two men went their separate ways. Alfonzo turned around and began the short walk back to The Wolfo, while the caped Horos deposited the joint into one of the puddles which lurked in the corners of the alley, and launched himself onto a nearby wall in one swift, elegant movement, disappearing as he did so into the night.

**Hey all. Thanks for reading. Slow going at the moment I know, but I really am trying to set some kind of a scene here. I hope the last bit has wetted your appetite for the next chapter. **


	3. Night Time Traverses

**Chapter 2: Night Time Traverses**

A few hours following the conversation in the alleyway, The Wolfo was heaving with customers. Wherever one looked in the smoky pub, they would be able to see figures of all shapes and sizes indulging in life's more questionable pleasures. Card games were littered around the tables, some being played for casual odds such as the next round of drinks or simple bragging rights, while others ran the risk of leading to an individual losing, or indeed obtaining, many worldly possessions. All the contestants were drinking, as were those who were in The Wolfo simply for its ambience. On a misty night, especially one after a day as wet as this, there were few better places in town to obtain a decent pint, or pick up the latest local information.

Overseeing this organised chaos was Alfonzo. Standing in his customary position behind the bar, he was in his element, always ready with an anecdote or a word of advice, to shave off ten percent off the price of a drink to his favourite customers, or to those who were moving onto and beyond their fifth pint of the evening. Hearing a loud roar in the corner, Alfonzo swiftly turned to the right, to see a group of particularly rowdy regulars laughing uproariously at their friend. It seemed he had just made the fatal error of attempting to flirt with the new barmaid, Taera, only to be rebuffed with one of her customary stinging putdowns.

Hiring her had been a masterstroke. She was funny, competent, and above all, seemingly obtainable, which made many of the self-styled local young charmers confident enough to believe that, after a few drinks, they would be witty enough to secure themselves a date with the glamorous brunette. They were of course universally rejected. She was, Alfonzo concluded to himself, the best help he'd employed in years. He also realised though that a girl like Taera was bound for greater locales than the Tareian seafront. She would soon outgrow The Wolfo, and she was certainly intelligent enough to make it in Kardopolis. For now though, Taera was his, and Alfonzo was very thankful for it.

He had tried to distance himself from the conversation he had with Horos earlier, but it kept returning, digging into his mind. He had been aware of Alarius' status for a few months now, and had known it was only a matter of time before Horos came to take him away. Even so, now the time was upon him, Alfonzo was almost shocked to think that the young man he had raised for the best part of twenty years was going to leave, and that neither of them would have a chance to say goodbye properly. It was necessary, he knew that, but Alfonzo had grown very fond of Alarius, and in the back of his mind had always been wary of the pain his inevitable departure would cause.

As the barman's mind was drifting, Alarius strolled into the main room. He had slept a few hours in the afternoon and felt sufficiently refreshed. He'd changed his hood so that its colour matched the jet black shade of his robes. All in all, he was quite exciting about his planned escapade with Horos. It had been a while since he'd taken part in any night time activities, minus the odd romantic dalliance. He was also interested to find out more about Horos and his relationship with Alfonzo. As he took his place behind the bar he gave Alfonzo a slight nudge to secure his attention.

"Is everything still planned for tonight?"

"Yes indeed. Horos will be here soon"

"Still no idea what he's got planned?"

"Fraid not"

"Ah well, all the fun is in the mystery I guess"

"Want a drink?"

"No, best not. Just in case things get heated. Makes sense to be fully focused"

Alarius took his place behind the bar, but couldn't keep still. He always got a little nervous before a job, and tonight was no exception. He really hoped that Horos wouldn't keep him long. Luckily for him, Horos swept into The Wolfo just a few minutes later, looking much more serious than he had that morning. The cavalier hat was gone, as was the maroon jacket, replaced with a far less attractive tunic, so that Horos was dressed all in black. As soon as he entered, he made his way to the bar, slipping through the throngs of customers with an elegance which put Alarius' agility to shame. Within seconds, he was at the bar. He smiled at Alarius, raised five fingers to indicate how long he would be, and then began talking in hushed tones to Alfonzo. Alarius decided he was best served waiting outside, so he flung on his coat, raised his hood over his head, and stepped out into the cool night air.

A few minutes later Horos emerged, looking very pensive. Without speaking he jerked his head towards the seafront, and began to move briskly in that direction. Alarius followed, jogging briefly to catch up with his periodic partner in crime. He assumed that Horos was not really in the mood for small talk, and so decided to simply follow the black figure's lead. Not that Alarius particularly minded. He wasn't a man for small talk at the best of times, but this was particularly the case when faced with a job.

As the pair swept through the dark streets towards the seafront, it became harder and harder to remain concealed within the shadows of the dimly lit streets. The reason for this lay in the way in which the city of Tares had been built at its conception. Tares was built almost solely for reasons of trade and exploration, and as such, the waterfront dominated the city. It was a vast area, stretching along the whole length of the city's outer perimeter. As such, all the main roads of the city were built so that they would converge at the waterfront. Eight main roads which spread out of the waterfront, so that goods and traffic could pass back and forth to and from the sea.

Because of the number of roads, many sailors had christened the seafront the "Octo Port". However, while this architectural concept was helpful for many, it meant that as the main roads moved closer to the port, they lost more and more of the little side street and alleyway branches which littered the city's upper levels. As such, hiding places became very scarce, and natural cover was at a minimum, and while Alarius and Horos were at this time not actually doing anything wrong, their clothing, demeanour and presence in what was supposedly a defunct area of business after seven P.M. would not serve them well if they were spotted.

Despite these problems, Horos and Alarius reached the outer perimeter of the Octo Port in good time and without any trouble. They were entering the area via the sixth road from the left, giving them a good view of the area. Slinking behind a set of boxes filled with some fish or another, the two men knelt down and began to take a quick rest. They still hadn't said a word to each since meeting that evening. Horos fiddled with his hood for a second, before looking at Alarius.

"Keeping up ok?" he said lightly, breathing out heavily as he did so.

"Ha, yes, don't worry. This isn't the newest experience to me. You forget that this port has been my backyard for the past twenty years."

"You still haven't asked where I'm taking you tonight". The speed at which Horos said this seemed a little quick to Alarius.

"No. I mean, I assume it's one of the safe houses that are set up around here. One of the warehouses down on the far right is where we do the majority of our business. Though to be honest I didn't really feel it was my place to pry. You'll take me where you take me. Alfonzo trusts you, and that's good enough for me."

"You're a man of absolutes. I like that." This statement made Alarius far more proud (and surprisingly so) than he thought it would, even if he didn't show it. "Even so, I think it's best I run you through the plan for tonight, just in case. We're not headi"

Alarius never heard the end of that sentence, and instead found himself falling backwards onto the hard stone floor. In the same instance he heard a very loud thud, two of them perhaps, just above his head. Looking up at the boxes above him, Alarius' suspicions were confirmed. Protruding from the box which the two men had been hiding behind were two bolts, most likely from a crossbow. With his sense of time and space awry, Alarius found himself being dragged up from the floor and pulled towards the next road along from the one he had entered the port by, presumably by Horos, through Alarius was in no state to confirm this. These events must have taken place in less than a few seconds, but they would remain with Alarius for the rest of his life. The first time someone tried to kill me. Well, the first time I was aware of someone trying to kill me.

As he regained his senses, Alarius felt himself sprinting subconsciously, following Horos, who had brought his hood back over his head. Chancing a backward glance, his suspicions were confirmed. He saw two men armed with crossbows, and dressed in brown, their robes covered with a crisp pattern of thin red and gold lines equidistant width apart from one another. They were chasing after him with a look of cold determination in their eyes. Joining them a few steps behind were at least six others, all of whom were dressed in the same uniform and carrying weapons of various shapes and forms. From both their advanced gear and the fact that weren't massively unfit, Alarius realised immediately that these men were not from the port authorities. In fact, as he thought about it, Alarius clocked that he hadn't seen a single local official either on the streets or at the port throughout his journey. Something was up.

This internal debate was cut short as Alarius kept up the pace alongside Horos. Moving away from the Octo Port, they headed down the main road next to the one they had entered the area in. Despite his age, Horos could move, and it was all Alarius could do to keep up with him. Gradually the gap between the two gaps widened, and Alarius began to be a bit calmer. There was no way these soldiers could run and shoot accurately at this distance in this weather with their crossbows. Moving swiftly into the catacombs of little streets that lay between the main streets, Horos and Alarius managed to get out of sight of their pursuers, and moved into the shadows to rest.

They were silent for a few moments, the only minimal sound that could be heard was that of Alarius' heavy breathing. Spitting out a bit of phlegm, and what tasted like a bit of vomit too, Alarius turned his gaze upon the old man, and before himself blurted out.

"Alright you old bastard, what the fuck is going on?"

"Alarius, I can't ex"

"The fuck you can't. I just risked my life, I still am risking my life probably, and now I deserve to know what for. This isn't some petty bit of smuggling we're undertaking, I can see that. You think I'm stupid? Those men were NOT port authorities, that uniform is NOT from this town, and I'm NOT the kind of moron who you mess around with some half-baked shit about not needing to explain."

As he finished, Alarius expected a rebuke. This man was after all, at least for tonight, his employer. He was much more senior than him, and had just saved his life, if his mental recounting of the crossbow incident was anything to go by. However, Horos looked at him and spoke in a very level tone, without a hint of anger or malice.

"Alarius, your anger is relatively justified. However, I cannot tell you what we are doing, because right now we have to concentrate on getting to where we want to be. Now, within the next thirty seconds, two groups will enter the street next to us from different sides. Our only hope of escape is to vault the wall opposite."

Alarius looked up. The walls of the catacombs would often reach very high levels. Unfortunately for him, this was one of said walls. He opened his mouth to speak.

"We have to lever ourselves over" Horos said, seemingly reading the young man's mind. You can run up against the wall, push off with your left foot across the alleyway, use your right foot on the opposite wall, and launch yourself up onto the wall."

"What? Are you joking? How on"

"You'll do it or have to face those men we just encountered again, plus their comrades. Trust me Alarius, you can do it. It will be easier than you think. When you get to the other side, run straight ahead, and keep on running straight ahead. There will be an exit some two hundred or so yards down. Use it. I shall be alongside you the whole way. Are you ready?"

Alarius felt he could do little more than nod. He tensed his body, and tried to breathe as slowly and deeply as possible. Strangely, as he did so, the nervous terror which had been consuming him for the past couple of minutes began to seep away, and when Horos gave him the shout in order to commence their escape, the only state he felt himself in was one of calm concentration. The shouts on either side of him were muffled, and Alarius moved towards the wall at a serene pace and rhythm. About two feet away from the wall, he jumped, turning his body side-on so that his left leg faced the slippery brick wall.

As he pushed off, Alarius found that his previous misgivings about vaulting the wall had been very much unfounded. He moved as swiftly and as elegantly as a dancer, completing the three way manoeuvre with height to spare. Both of his pushes from the wall felt both graceful and powerful, each one propelling him faster and higher towards the zenith of the wall. With ample time to prepare, and in no danger of failing to reach, Alarius clung onto the wall with minimum effort. As he levered himself over, he heard a small noise and felt a small force behind him. As he chanced a brief look as his body eased itself over the wall, his eyes caught the climax of a bright white flash, and out of the corner of his eye, Alarius saw a figure moving cleanly over the wall. It was Horos, and he seemed to be in the process of completing a backflip. Had he cleared the wall with a single jump? Alarius had no time to concern himself with this, as he dropped himself back down to the relative safety of the street.

As he did so, the sudden calm which had previously absorbed him began to dissipate, and once more, everything began to speed up and get louder. Turning round, Alarius saw that he and Horos were in a narrow street, with semi-regular outlets on either side. As Horos beckoned him forward, he remembered that they were probably still in danger, and began to run as hard as he could. There was a light at the end of the alley, its luminosity heightened by the poor lighting of the street they were in.

The two men ran on, feet pounding the wet cobble streets. Both were quick, and within seconds they were halfway towards the exit. However, about three quarters of the way down, there was an intersection, a narrow crossroads where two alleyways intersected. As Alarius ran, he saw that emerging from the left hand side of the alley were two men wearing the same robes as the others they had encountered that evening. They were not yet fully in the road, and seemed to be unaware of their pretty, but within seconds the would be in a position where they could halt the escape.

Heart pounding, Alarius realised that he had only a matter of seconds to act, particularly as the guards were entering from the side of the alley on which he was running. Willing the calmness to come back, he kept on running headlong into the danger before him. Yet the calmness wouldn't come back. Fifteen metres, ten metres. The guards began to turn. Five metres. Another flash. As Alarius was just about to body check the first guard, who was in mid-turn, a bright flash lit-up before him. Almost blind, Alarius ran headlong into the guard, shoulder charging him with a ferocity which came from the mixture of fear and momentum which Alarius had built up over the last hundred and fifty metres. Although he could not see, Alarius's impact sent the guard off his feet, flying backwards into the wall which lay behind him. Just about keeping his feet, he spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees. He had no idea where the second guard was, and heard very little more than a rip, followed almost instantaneously by the sound of a body hitting the floor.

As his eyes cleared, Alarius was still running. He did not chance a look back, but could see just about enough to confirm that Horos was no longer beside him. He also felt a sudden chill on the left hand side of his chest, and glanced down to see that his robes had a significant sideways gash in them. Before he could inspect his body, he heard a voice.

"I'm here. Behind you. Keep running. A right at the end of this alley, then straight on. You'll know the exit where I want you to go to when you see it".

It was Horos. This solved the mystery posed by the sound of body hitting floor. The second guard. However, there was no time to dwell on this. His eyes clearing, Alarius kept running. As the alleyway ended, he found himself back on one of the main roads. Heeding Horos' instructions, Alarius turned right, and without a second look, sprinted back down towards the Octo Port. There were various voices around him, but Alarius cared little for them.

At a fearsome pace, the two men entered the Octo Port. They were entering once more from the seventh road from the left. Yet there appeared to be nowhere else to go. Why, thought Alarius, has Horos led us here? He said I'd know. He said the exit would be obvi...oh. There it was. At the edge of the Octo Port, leading down towards one of the jetties was a hole, which opened itself up in the wall next to a broken fountain which dominated the area. If ever one were to lean near to the hole, they would hear the sound of running water, for the hole led to the city's underground water system. Cold water, freezing cold no doubt at this time of year and day, freezing cold water which led to lord knows where. This was Horos' plan. Fantastic.

Yet what choice did he have? It was either get very cold and possibly live, or stop running and definitely die. So Alarius continued to run. Although he tried not to, he couldn't help shifting his head from left to right as the hole got closer and closer. The Octo Port was well lit, and Alarius could clearly make out about seven or eight distinct robed figures, at least one of whom was armed with a crossbow, running towards him from various directions. At their head on the left hand side was a man on horseback, though Alarius couldn't make out much of his face.

As he got to within a few metres of the hole, each of Alarius' senses was engaged within a very short period, one after the other. To either side of him, each ear focused on a separate noise. Left, he heard a voice (whom he presumed, correctly, belonged to the man on horseback) shout Horos' name. To his right, the distinctive sound of a crossbow letting loose its deadly bolt. Reacting to this, Alarius decided the rest of the gap was best bridged by sliding. Legs first, he launched himself towards the hole. Just as he was about to do so, the light around him seemed to darken visibly and instantaneously. It remained dark until Alarius' body had passed through the hole that led to the waterways.

Horos was following Alarius. They were almost there. The port was in sight. Reaching out briefly, Horos sensed the presence of figures a short distance beyond them. As they ran into the semi-circular port area, his suspicions were confirmed. Eight men, four on each side, two armed with crossbows. As he looked around, he saw the man on horseback. Would he know where the waterways went? It wasn't worth the risk. As the man saw him, he shouted his name. For all his intelligence, Estefan was prone to state the obvious far too often. Barely slowing down, Horos looked back at him and smiled. He was too far away to stop him now. The only danger were the crossbows, and in this weather he doubted they could shoot at all. Yet he still had to create the doubt, doubt enough to split them.

Gathering in his power, Horos waited. Then, as he saw the crossbowmen draw their weapons back, and as Alarius was about to begin his slide, Horos drew in the light. In an instant, the whole area darkened. The crossbows twanged violently, a sound which suggested the guards had been affected by their loss of sigh. Holding on long enough to slide for the hole, Horos released his mind and pushed his thoughts outward. Though he did not see the result, Horos had mastered his trick well enough to know that the area would be filled with a rush of intense light for a few seconds, accompanied by the illusion of two silhouettes running in various directions away from the port. It would be enough to create the confusion he needed, and to prevent the Guard searching as one.

By the time the light came back into his eyes, Alarius was in the process of falling a good ten feet or so into the water than ran below the city. As he braced himself, Alarius' nose became aware of the salty smell emanating from the torrent below. At least this wasn't a sewage tunnel. His tongue soon confirmed these suspicions as he hit the surface. The cold also was instantaneous. As Alarius was briefly submerged, his whole body reacted to the devilish chill which shot through him. He also felt a horrendous sharp pain in his side, which confirmed that the wound he had suffered in the alleyway had indeed drawn at least some blood. Desperately clawing his way through the water, Alarius swam upwards and broke the surface.

Gasping, Alarius looked around. The water was a good eight feet deep, and the tunnel was wide, set out in an arched style, with several branched tunnels within sight in the distance. Luckily, there were some lamps set up on ledges along the wall, meaning that he would at least have the luxury of sight as he caught pneumonia.

Within a second, Horos appeared, his black hair soaked and scraped back to avoid contact with his eyes. He swam towards Alarius, and began to point towards the right hand side of the tunnel.

"You ok?" Alarius could just about manage a nod. "Alright. We're going to have to swim for a few minutes. Keep to the right of the tunnel. We're going to go through two more crossroads as it were. Follow me the whole time. We're going right, right again and then left. You sure you're ok? Good. Let's go."

Fortunately, the water was flowing in the direction they were swimming, meaning that the main task for each of them was simply to keep their heads above the water. The tide was swift, and in a very short time they entered the third tunnel Horos had mentioned. At this point Horos began to tread water, and motioned to Alarius that he should do the same. With all his strength, Alarius managed to stay afloat.

"Down there is a hole along the left hand side of this wall. It's almost invisible right now, but I'll be able to illuminate the necessary area as we are submerged. Do you want to grab onto my arrrrrrrrrrr ok fine if you don't want to, just follow me".

Alarius dropped his eyebrow and nodded. He was cold, but not that cold. Moving onto the wall, Horos took a deep breath and submerged himself beneath the water. Alarius waited a second or two before following suit. His vision wasn't great, but as promised, there was a light at the bottom of the wall. Swimming with all his might, Alarius pushed his aching body closer and closer and finally through the narrow hall, noticing as he did so that Horos' light was a fish from whose body emanated a clear red light. How Horos had the fish was another question, but right now all Alarius could focus on was being able to take another breath. Forcing himself through the gap, he pushed off from the wall with his legs, and launched himself towards the surface.

When he emerged, he found himself in a small, circular area, where the water was calm and no longer affected by the tidal current. Before him lay a little ledge, with a small ladder fixed upon it. Horos was seated upon the ledge, sweeping his hand through his hair once more. He offered his hand to Alarius, and dragged him up to the ledge. After once again enquiring about Alarius' health, and being given a positive response, Horos beckoned towards the ladder, and pointed upwards. Alarius wanted to argue, to question everything that was going on, but right now all he cared about was getting out of this underground prison.

"What about the fish?" was all that he could stutter before he started climbing.

"What about it?"

"What was it? Where did it come from? Won't it starve if it just stays there in the waterway?"

"Oh no, don't worry, she knows that I only needed her to wait long enough for us to get through"

"But how"

"Later, later. Do you really want to stay here any longer than we need to?"

"Well, no, but"

"Then if you would be so kind" said Horos in a definitive tone, finger pointing up the ladder.

Alarius sighed internally, reminding himself that in the grand scheme of things the fish was relatively low on his list of questions anyway, and reached toward the next rung. At a snail's pace, Alarius moved up the ladder. At the top, he tentatively used his right hand to push the stone which covered the manhole. It moved very slightly. Taking great care not to fall, Alarius gradually levered the stone to one side, and lifted himself back into the world above. Straining his eyes in the overcast night, Alarius looked around. The area was deserted, and had been for a very long time. Although he could not see the whole area, Alarius was standing in the centre of a set of ruins. Lines of formerly proud Doric columns lay crumbled and cropped around the perimeter of the area, whilst a pair of plinths lay empty, their occupants remembered only by two pairs of damaged and deformed feet. Directly behind the statues was a staircase, and though Alarius could not see what was at the top, he had a fairly good idea that it would be in as poor a state as that which lay around him.

Suddenly, it dawned on him. He was in the grounds of the former temple. The place where one of the usurpers had been worshipped in earlier times. Is that why they had been chased? As Alarius' mind was able to concentrate now he was out of immediate peril, more and more things began to come to him. He remembered the uniform of the men who had been chasing them. They were the Kardopolian Emperor Guard! Why on earth were they in Tares? Why were they after Horos? And him? Just what had he been brought into?

With all his previous anger flooding back, Alarius turned towards Horos with a face like thunder.

"I know who those men were." Damn, could he have sounded less authoritative?

"Yes, well, you're a sharp boy"

"Yet not sharp enough to pick up that you're the type of man who's wanted by the highest military authority in the land obviously". Better, better. Return dry humour with sincerity. Show that you're the better man. Avoid swearing.

"Well, I don't really know what to say. What would be the type you were expecting?"

Is this sincerity? Is he serious? Damn. This man just endangered my life, and he's as relaxed as if we'd taken a stroll down the beach together. Oh damn it, just play your cards Alarius.

"I don't know. I don't care. Why should I listen to anything you say? If you're not going to give me answers, why should I put up with you? I've done nothing wrong. What's to stop me leaving this place now and telling the authorities everything I know about you?" Damn it, sounding just like a whiny kid. Tell the authorities? The adult equivalent of telling mummy.

Horos' response to this was to sigh, smile, and to look Alarius straight in the eye. It was only now the young man realised just how deep they were. An endless sea of green, and at that moment, Alarius could tell, laced with sincerity.

"Alarius, I can only apologise once more. The fact is, I expected tonight to run far more smoothly than it has. Those men were, as you seem to have guessed, members of the Emperor's Guard. I knew that my business here would attract them, but I also judged, incorrectly in hindsight, that I was farther ahead of them than I was. I apologise for placing you in danger, and for the path we had to take to arrive here. Yet both you and I know that reporting me is not an option.

Just by being in this place you are in violation of one of this land's most fearsome laws. If you report me, you will inevitably be asked where you saw me last. In addition to this, I imagine you remember that it was not only me that those men tried to kill tonight. The crossbows were aimed at both of us, and that cut of yours was not an accident. If you report me, you will be killed. As will Alfonzo. Of that there is no doubt."

Alarius knew he was right, though he tried not to show it.

"Now, I understand that I have promised much, and have as yet failed to deliver. However, I give you my word that you will soon be given all the information you need, and just to convince you, I'm afraid I shall resort to emotional blackmail. Am I right in assuming that the man that you trust above any in this world is Alfonzo?"

Alarius rolled his eyes, but eventually muttered "Yes".

"Indeed. Now, Alfonzo and I have been friends for some forty years. He is a man I trust with my life, and if you saw us together today, I think you would be hard pressed to argue that he didn't feel the same about me. Now, would you agree that Alfonzo is a good judge of character?"

Again a pause, again a muttered agreement.

"Ok then. So if I tell you that Alfonzo has trusted me for this amount of time, then would you not think that I were a trustworthy man?"

"Ok, fine. Enough with the semi-rhetorical questions. Let's just get this done."

"Good man". Horos smiled briefly, and turned back towards the temple. Alarius had to admit that the man had charm. It was a beautiful smile. Warm, white toothed and sincere-looking, Alarius consoled himself that he was by no means the first person to have been persuaded by this debonair senior. As his anger seeped away once more, Alarius realised that he was still very cold, very wet and wounded. Hugging himself for warmth, Alarius looked over towards Horos so that he could voice his concerns. However, the words stuck in his mouth. The man whose style he had admired throughout the day was now hopping. Hopping between the various stone squares that made up the temple courtyard in a seemingly random manner.

"Um, Horos?" Horos put his finger to his lips and kept hopping.

"But it's freez"

For what seemed like the umpteenth time that evening, Alarius' words stuck in his throat. Upon the completion of his latest hop, the stones Horos had been jumping on began to reverberate. Then, after a few seconds, one of the stones slide itself upwards slightly, and the slab on its immediate right began to shift into the space its ascendancy had created, revealing a concealed staircase. Horos smiled (again!), and elaborately swept his hand towards the hole.

"Down there if you please Alarius. Provisions, warmth and answers await."

For the first time in hours, Alarius was truly happy to do Horos' bidding. With as much energy as he could muster, he trotted towards the staircase. Horos followed just behind, sealing the hole with a snap of his fingers. The staircase was not particularly long, but it was narrow, which made it slightly awkward to walk down. It was however rather warm inside, and there were many attractive blue lanterns set up to elucidate the descent.

At the bottom of the stairs was a spacious circular room. The same shade of blue light was still present, and the room itself was decorated with a vast number of ornaments and trinkets, the types of which Alarius had never seen before. At the far end of the room stood a human-sized marble statue of a man who was not quite middle aged. His attire seemed to consist of a menagerie of different styles. His head was adorned with the traditional cap worn by Tareian sailors, and a thick beard which, combined with the hat, made it very hard to study the man's features from a distance. Upon the torso was a thick coat, the type of which Alarius had never seen before, whilst the man's trousers were also of an unfamiliar style.

Alarius walked slowly around the left hand side of the room, studying the objects which were placed inside carved windows on the wall. Reading the various descriptions, it soon became clear that these items were from all the corners of the earth. Cobble flutes, Paupauin headdresses, even a shield of the Molipei. There also lay a small yet very pretty silver baton, under which was inscribed "As Owned by the Founder of Our Land". The baton rang a mental bell, as did the mention of a Founder, but Alarius could not fully place them.

"Where are we?" he asked, after he had looked round a little more.

"We are currently standing below the easternmost point of the harbour." Horos replied, fiddling around in his pocket as he did so.

"No no. I mean, _where_ are we? What is this place?"

"Ah, well" Horos said as he strode slowly towards a pedestal which stood before the statue, "I am probably not the best man to tell you that". As he finished this sentence, Horos finally brought his hand out from amongst his robes. It was not alone. Clasped in his palm was a compass. As he reached the pedestal, Horos placed this compass snugly into a small hole in the stone structure. Immediately, the statue began to emanate light. As the light intensified, the structure seemed to be expanding and contracting, almost as if it was breathing heavily. The light persisted for a few more seconds, before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.

As Alarius' eyes readjusted, he saw that the statue was still very much in place. Yet before it now stood a man whose appearance was identical to the monument in front of which he stood. Removing his cap, the figure revealed a cluster of thick, medium length brown hair, and a pair of dark green eyes, which burned with the intensity of a hawk prior to the moment of the kill. He looked around, first at Horos, and then at Alarius. Despite the strange nature of the situation, Alarius felt himself very much calmed as he locked eyes with the third member of this bizarre gathering. After a few seconds, the man spoke.

"You are Horos I presume? Directed here by my guardian Alfonzo?" Alarius found his voice to be even more comforting than his eyes.

"You presume correct sir"

"And your companion? He is the Restorer?"

"We believe so" Horos answered for Alarius.

"In which case I welcome you. It seems that you, good Horos, are already aware of my identity, but the boy looks to be confused. My son, I greet you with great respect. My name is Dorelineus, The Great Explorer. Son of Farore, and God of the Seas and the Oceans."

**Dun dun dun! First off, apologies for the wait. This was a very hard chapter to write. I'm not 100% happy with it. The dialogue was really hard to do, the chapter seems a little long, and this is my first real attempt at trying to write action. Anyway, I hope it's fun to read. We're finally starting to get somewhere now. Next chapter will be more words than action, but many things will be explained. BTW, if you're not sure about the significance of the compass, see the prologue and see if you can work it out. Happy reading! Reviews will be very much appreciated.**


	4. What Came to Pass

**Chapter 3: What Came to Pass**

"Um, hi". Alarius didn't really how to greet the God standing before him. He wasn't used to formally greeting people at the best of times, let alone when in the presence of a deity. This verbal introduction coincided with a brief raise of Alarius' right hand. Dorilineus smiled politely in return, and strode towards the centre of the cave, motioning Alarius to sit on one of the stones which formed a little circle nearby. Horos joined them, producing a match as he did so, which he used to light the pile of logs which lay in the middle of the makeshift communal area.

For a few seconds there was silence. All the questions that Alarius had wanted to ask seemed to be stuck in his throat, and all he could do was sit, awkwardly darting his eyes around. It was Dorilineus who spoke first.

"You seem nervous, young man. I assume it is strange to encounter a God, let alone in the flesh, but why don't you tell me how you feel?"

Once again, the God's words filled Alarius with an inner calm. His inhibition draining, Alarius spoke.

"Nervous is perhaps too strong a word my lord, simply because I have no real idea how I feel. I mean, I can't really say I'm too surprised by your actual existence. I've never really read into the past of this land, but from what I've read and what I've been told it's not as if you Gods have never existed, and were just a way for us to find communal identities. I've always assumed that you existed, and as such your simple presence does not shock me too much. However, your presence in relation to me is I suppose what is making me nervous, if indeed that is how I feel. I'm sure you can appreciate the surreal nature of this situation. I seem to be meeting you for a reason. I am not being addressed by you as part of a crowd, but because you have a specific need for my presence. In all honesty my lord, the main problem I have is not coming to terms with you, but everything else going on around us."

Once again, the God of the Sea smiled, a line of silk-like white teeth revealing themselves as he did so.

"You come across as having quite the intellect young man, and I have no doubt who I should thank for that. However, do you not feel somewhat daunted by my presence, given the stories you must have heard during your childhood?

Alarius shrugged. "Not really. In all honesty, I don't feel it's a concern for many people in Tares. As I'm sure you're aware, this is no longer an affluent place, far from it. Many live in poverty, the city is essentially controlled by the black market, and people are leaving in their droves to the other cities. Whether you and the other Gods did conspire to usurp Narm is not something I really dwell upon. If you did, then maybe you were right to. Things couldn't be much worse here. We've all been told that the land was in disarray and despair before the second uprising, but in all honesty I have no way of knowing. All I've ever thought about is Alfonzo and The Wolfo. Kardopolis propaganda isn't all that prominent here. I couldn't care less."

"I see. That is good to know." Dorilineus turned to Horos. "I assume you know most of this?"

"Yes, Alfonzo has always kept me informed. He felt it best to keep his education on the safe side in case we were ever rumbled."

Dorilineus nodded sagely in response to this. With a light stroke of his beard, he once again addressed Alarius.

"Alarius, you are obviously aware by now that the man sitting beside us is out of the ordinary. You also are aware that I am a God, a God whose name, along with those of my companions, has been smeared throughout the years. However, I would dispute this greatly, and if you would let Horos and I be so kind, we shall divulge to you our version of events, which shall no doubt differ greatly from what you have heard in the past. I shall also warn you now. Much of what we shall tell you will concern you. It will be scary, daunting and at times almost impossible to believe. I'll also make it clear that this disclaimer is more for reasons of good manners than to give you a genuine choice as to whether you hear this or not. Apologies. That said, we must continue. Are you ready?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm just happy to be talked to with such respect." Alarius said with a smile. "I don't think I've ever been forced to do something so politely. But yes, Lord of the Sea, I am ready."

"Fantastic, though do please desist referring to me as your lord. I prefer to be called Dor, though those who know me often refer to me by my full name, or indeed by my favourite official title, Captain. Agreed?"

Alarius really liked this guy. "Yes, Captain" he replied, subtly repressing a smirk, Alfonzo had also often wished to be referred to as "Cap'n".

"Good, and please, remove your over garments. I know it's warm down here, but you're still rather wet. That refers to both of you by the way Horos. I don't want you dripping water over my stones for the next hour."

After the pair had rested their coats by the fire, the time for explaining was finally upon them.

"Would you like to start?" Dorilineus asked Horos. "I do think we should start with a bit about you. At least he knows who I am"

Horos nodded. "Alarius, as you've obviously worked out, I am not a normal member of society. Normal members of society do not get chased by the Emperor's Guard. I am in fact a member of a different group. I am a Sheikah. Does that term mean anything to you?"

Alarius gave his customary half shrug, half shake of the head. "Very vaguely. They guarded something back in the Old Land? I don't know."

"Ok, that's not a problem. Well you're correct in that the Sheikah did protect something. Our tribe were responsible for the protection of the Hyrulean Royal Family way back when. In the Old Land we dwelt in a town called Kakariko. For a time many thought we had died, along with the rest of the Royal Family. Are you familiar with the Great Flood?"

"Again, it rings a bell but it's very vague"

"Well it's not worth me describing the whole story, but essentially, it involved the land being flooded by the Great Goddesses upon the request of the King of Hyrule. That is how the Great Sea which lies far to the East came to be. At the time, many thought that the Royal Family, and our own tribe, had ceased to be. They were wrong. Both survived, each maintained by a tiny number of people. Eventually, a girl named Tetra came to recognise her destiny, and along with the Hero of Winds founded the land we dwell in today, and her offspring re-established the royal lineage. For my tribe's part, we were represented at this time by an individual called Nudge. There were a group of people who assisted Miss Tetra, including an ancestor of Alfonzo's, but Nudge was the only Sheikah.

Now, when we arrived in this land, New Hyrule, we continued to serve the Royal Family. Indeed, as the land prospered, so did our numbers. We were never a particularly populous group, but over the years our number reached as high as a couple of hundred. Oh, and for the record, we can marry outside of our tribe, but the number of children we can have is limited to two between Sheikah parents, and one between mixed. Just in case you were worried about certain sexual misdemeanours. Anyway, where was I? Ah yes. Well, for years we prospered, and our protection of the Royal Family remained secure. Even our God dwelt with us upon the land. The Great God Il-S-Pa. Yet after a long-"

"Il-S-Pa." Alarius interrupted with a raised hand which constituted an apology. "Now that name means something to me. Remember I don't take all this stuff literally, not at all, but there's a story about him. He was the one we were told initiated the usurpation of Narm, the God who began the plot which led to the Power God's downfall. His tribe was never really mentioned, but Il-S-Pa I remember."

Horos screwed up his mouth, and Alarius could see that he was biting his tongue. At this point, Dorilineus decided to step in.

"Alarius, I have no doubt when you tell us that this is what you have been told to believe. That said, I was alive at the time of these troubles, and I must tell you that this is an erroneous statement. I feel I can tell you this with confidence, as I witnessed and was sadly involved in much of what I am to describe.

I was born to the Goddess Farore and the Hylian Saerus. I shall explain the various lineages of my fellow deities later, but for now bear with me. In my youth, I spent many years travelling the various seas which surround our great isle. My travels took me all around the Southern and Eastern seas, and I was lucky enough to appreciate much of what this great world has to offer. During this period, and following my permanent return to New Hyrule, the land was prosperous. All the gods and all the peoples dwelt peacefully. However, between my two cousins, Talor and Narm, a rift was created. Over time this rift widened, and eventually came to a head when Narm struck down Il-S-Pa's daughter at a time when he was consumed by a terrible rage. We know this happened because my fellow cousin Keat confirmed the cycle of events to Talor and Il-S-Pa, but also to me on a separate occasion."

"You spoke to Keat about Narm? When did this happen?" Horos piped up, his voice still on edge.

"It happened, dear Horos", Dorilineus replied with a very definitive tone "when he was fleeing the violence of cousin Talor. He would not have lied to me. He would never have lied about such an issue. Impassh was one for whom he had the utmost respect. Yet this is not the time. I am sorry, Alarius, for I digress.

Following this outburst, Narm fled the land. He dwelt on Xexionia for many years. I assume you know of the tie that this land now holds with Xexionia?"

Alarius nodded. "Know of it? Every other story I hear in The Wolfo is a sailor moaning about how the treaty has restricted trade to Tares. The only legitimate trading that this city secures nowadays is via the Xexionians. Everyone else has stopped trading with us. It's the reason the port is so desolate. It also means that we have to put up with them in the pub from time to time, and they are, if you'll pardon my Cobble, almost exclusively odious, pointless individuals."

"Hmmm, well far be it from me to pass judgment on those men." Dorilineus said, "Though of course I have no doubt that your own characterisations are entirely accurate. Now, as I was saying. For many years Narm dwelt on Xexionia, and a very uneasy peace was maintained. Then, to cut a very long story short, he attacked this land. Following a great battle, Narm was struck down by Talor, who used a blade fashioned by Il-S-Pa. He did not die, but was instead turned to stone and sealed away in a remote location.

Now, I must admit that many of our actions following this battle were appalling. We slaughtered many fleeing Xexionians, and we didn't do enough to ensure that strife between the two nations would not occur again. Still, we deities between ourselves decided on one thing. We decided that we could not risk another war between the Gods, as it may very well have resulted in the destruction of the land, which at the time was still so very young. Therefore, we sealed ourselves away, and left the land to develop on its own.

I may have digressed a bit, and to be honest the time we have is by no means enough to fully explain what happened in the distant past. I do have something that will help though. Horos, if you'd be so kind as to reach atop of that ledge to your right."

Horos did so, and in a few seconds had retrieved a pair of books. Upon returning to the circle, he laid them down before Alarius. They were plain, old hardbacks, and several pages of the book were dog-eared from having been folded. Scanning the front covers, Alarius read the titles. He hadn't heard of either book before. The book on the top of the small pile was green in colour, and had on its front the title _Hyrule's Cosmology and Early History_, whilst the other was named _The Land We Live In: A Geographers Guide to Hyrule._ As Alarius was inspecting the books, Dorilineus began to speak once more.

"As I was saying, when Narm was finally defeated, we took it upon ourselves to leave this land, after each of us had made sure to construct a great temple in our adopted city, so that we could maintain our relationship with the people. For many years, it must be said our absence was hardly felt. Life carried on for the people, the land flourished and progressed, and for many hundreds of years there was very little strife.

However, this peace could not be maintained forever. As you are obviously aware, there is only one god who is now worshipped in New Hyrule, and that is Narm. Our temples have been torn down, and our diplomatic relations are nonexistent with all other nations other than the Xexionians. This abrupt change came about roughly two hundred and fifty years ago. Although the worship of Narm was outlawed following his petrification, a small group continued to honour him secretly. Over a significant period of time, this group obtained and established significant political power. Then finally, they grabbed their chance. A man named Kardus usurped the royal family and established dominion for both himself and his family over this land."

"But why didn't anybody oppose him?" Alarius asked incredulously. "If the people knew he damage that Narm had caused previously, why on earth did they not fight back?"

"Because" Horos now interjected "Kardus was a particularly clever man. He manipulated the circumstances to his advantage spectacularly." He slid over towards Alarius. "Take my hands, and I'll try and give you an impression of what happened"

Alarius raised an eyebrow, and didn't move. Horos sighed, and shook his head briefly.

"My my, quite the little homophobe aren't we? Guess Alfonzo didn't raise you quite as perfectly as we could have hoped. Come on Alarius, hold your hands out, this is important."

This shamed Alarius into action. Horos was right of course. He wasn't comfortable with touching other males, unless his palm was scrunched up or his hands were being used to hold an opponent in place. Nevertheless, at that moment his embarrassment far outweighed his reluctance to engage in physical contact with another male. Keeping his eyes averted to avoid seeing what he imagined would be disappointment on his companions' faces, Alarius swung his body forty five degrees and held onto Horos' hands. The old man emitted an amused exhalation from his nose, and grasped Alarius' hands tightly.

"Ok. Before we begin Alarius, I shall press upon you the fact that you will not be in danger at any point whilst we undertake this exercise. Whatever you think is happening is not corporeal. Is that clear?" Alarius nodded. "Good. Now, if you'd be so kind as to look up and slowly focus upon my eyes."

Alarius followed the instructions. Awkwardly so, but he followed them none the less. Slowly raising his radiant eyes, he met Horos' gaze. For a few seconds nothing seemed to happen, but then Alarius found himself mentally transported from the cave. The picture that formed before him was blurred, but the voices he could hear were clear. He was present in what seemed to be a chamber. A rather regal chamber, elaborately decorated and spacious. Without willing himself to do so, Alarius walked towards the door of the chamber, and listened.

"Omniel, what on earth is the meaning of this!"

"Shut up, if you please Your Highness"

"What! You dare to talk to me like that? This is my home! I am your superior for Talor's sake. You are in my employ, my commander in chief of the Hyrulean Armed Forces."

"Correction, I _was_ in your employ. However, as of a few months ago covertly, and as of a few hours from now officially, I am in the employ of Master Kardus, though even that is questionable. He's promised me quite the role."

"You bastard! What have you do-hrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhh"

Alarius could not be sure, but it sounded very much like the owner of the angered voice had just been run through. Ears pressed to the door (still through no action of his own), Alarius continued to listen.

"What it means, You. Stupid. Fat. FUCK, is that I'm betraying you. I'm going over to Kardus. Me and all of my men. A little fire was built up in your house some twenty minutes ago, and when it combines with the liberal splashing of cooking oil we're placing on your kitchen floor, this place will be destroyed. That will mask the actions of my men, who have surrounded this building, and are now going to ransack it, making sure that every single member of your household is killed in the process. Then, when the scene is investigated, by me of course, a heinous accident will be declared the cause, and emergency bodies will have to be established to deal with the tragic demise of the Royal Family.

In all honesty I wanted to kill you last, just so you could see your life crumble around you, but hey, we can't always get what we want. Now, get off my sword, and let me do my work. Men, make sure nobody is alive. Kardus insisted upon it, and I am not going to get on that man's evil side."

A body could be heard slumping to the ground. The figure Alarius was inhabiting pulled away from the door at this point, and turned towards the inside of the room. Alarius' vision was far clearer now, and he saw himself pick up two chairs and press them against the door, along with a bookcase and a dressing table.

"Sala?"

Alarius turned in shock. Before him stood a little girl, who looked no older than four. A beautiful little girl with long blonde hair, which was straight for the most part but curled at the ends in organised little ringlets. She was wearing a very regal dress of pink, white and gold. Her cheeks were red, and there was a terrified look upon her face. Alarius was amazed that he'd been unaware of her presence this whole time.

"Sala, what is going on?"

Alarius felt his hosts' body smile, and lean in towards the little girl, clasping her shoulders and kissing her forehead as he did so.

"Princess, listen to me very carefully. Do you remember what your daddy told you the day we met?"

"That if I am ever in danger, you will protect me. You will protect me and take me to a safe place."

"Good girl. Now, this is one of those times, and you must act as I say with as much speed as possible. In that drawer there are some brown clothes. Change into them. As soon as you have done so, shout out to me. Quickly now."

The girl ran off to the corner of the room. Meanwhile, the host moved towards the opposite corner of the room. Approaching the wall, they touched three individual bricks, one after the other. Behind him, the floor began to open. Quickly and quietly, the wooden floorboards parted, revealing below them a small square hole, which lead down towards a staircase.

Meanwhile, the noises and screams in the background grew in volume and frequency. Turning around, the host saw that the girl they had called Princess had almost finished getting changed. Once more Alarius felt the figure smile at the little girl. She looked very scared, and Alarius could tell that she was willing herself not to cry.

Then, a noise sounded. A sound of bodies hitting the door. With swiftness and grace, the host moved toward the hole in the floor, beckoning the little girl towards it. The pair were soon inside, and the passage began to seal itself behind them. As it was on the verge of closing, Alarius felt the eyes he was borrowing look down (were those breasts?), and rummage in the robe he was wearing. From them a small ball bearing emerged. As the hole in the floor was disappearing, the body brought the ball bearing to their lips, and blew on it. The vision began to fade, but lingered just long enough to confirm the ball's trajectory, shooting as it did into the upper part of the far wall before disintegrating.

A second or so later, Alarius found himself back in the cave, still holding Horos' hand. Detaching them so that he could rub his eyes, Alarius took in a few deep breaths. After he had finished both of these actions, he turned his gaze back towards Horos and gave him an inquisitive look.

"That was a memory of what happened that day. The events may not have happened quite as you just saw, but it is, I imagine, a pretty accurate depiction."

"And that wasn't you in the vision?"

"No." Horos smiled faintly and shook his head. "I'm not quite that old. That was, as I said, a memory, a memory of one of my ancestors passed down throughout the years. Her name was Selaia, and she was the guardian of the royal's daughter at the time."

"So that girl was the Princess?"

"Yes. That was Princess Zelda."

"And the man whose voice I heard? That wasn't the Kardus you were talking about was it?"

"No, he was simply entrusted that task by Kardus. That was the voice of General Omniel." Horos virtually spat the name out. "He was the head of the Royal Guard at the time, and sold himself out after being promised the world by Kardus. He betrayed every oath he ever took, just to get his hands on a little extra power and money. Sadly, Kardus was no fool. He had Omniel killed within weeks, the moment his usefulness expired. Shame, I would have loved to have a memory of Selaia introducing herself to him on a dark night."

"What about Kardus? What happened afterwards?"

"As I said, Kardus was no fool. He had meticulously planned his actions for a long time. I will not deny that part of that was our fault. For hundreds of years the Sheikah had maintained a network of spies, a force so effective that there was a time when we almost had no need for diplomats, so sufficient was our knowledge of the world around us. However, as peace continued, we began to get sloppy. Our senses were dulled. Kardus picked up on this, and used it to his advantage. By the time he had initiated his plan, it was too late.

After Omniel "investigated the scene", Kardus took it upon himself to address the Hyrulian Council. Under the guise of restoring stability, he was granted emergency powers. He claimed that the royals had been murdered by us, the very people euntrusted with their safety. He then used Omniel to purge himself of any potential opponent, be it by arresting them, or simply murdering them. Any potential threat was accused of conspiring with the Sheikah. Following the purge, he removed Omniel permanently, placing the blame for the violence on him.

Then, over the next few years, and with nobody brave or foolish enough to challenge him, Kardus began to manipulate history. As such, we were hunted down. Kardus was always bound to hate us. It was our deity's daughter who was indirectly responsible for Narm's initial flight, and it was Il-S-Pa's sword which struck Narm down all those years prior. Accused of treachery, every Sheikah was declared an enemy of the state, wanted dead or alive with no questions asked. Many of us fled, but Kardus had money, and assassins needed jobs. We were virtually wiped out.

Then, he began to reintroduce Narm back into the public's conscience. The official story was changed. Books and people that said otherwise were destroyed, and the Gods who had helped to protect our land were manipulated to assume the role of usurpers. Their temples were destroyed, their worship outlawed. Kardus also drove any non-Hylians from the land. Gorons, Zoras, Cobble, whoever. At the same time, he also signed a treaty with the Xexionians, to strengthen the cult of Narm and his own position. Within a few years he was Emperor, our capital was renamed Kardopolis, and his family have ruled ever since."

Alarius had listened intently to this, and for a few seconds absorbed the silence that Horos' story culminated in. He had to ask the questions. Questions which he knew would undoubtedly change his life. He wasn't stupid. Horos would not have told him this story, the events of the previous few hours would not have happened, and he would not be in the presence of a God, if his role in future proceedings was going to be immaterial. Yet he couldn't do it. Despite the inevitability of the situation, the boy who had lived his life wishing for nothing more than a chance to escape monotony and experience adventure was now held back by his own insecurities and fears. He had never felt like such a hypocrite.

"Alarius?" The soft voice of Dorilineus floated back into the conversation. "Are you alright?"

_Right, enough of this moping. Being scared is fine, it's a part of change, but this attitude isn't. Regardless of what they say, you will cope with it. You shame Alfonzo with your cowardice. Alarius, speak!_

"Yes Dorilineus, thank you". Alarius spoke each word clearly and strongly. _What was that?_ He thought as he was doing so. _Were those my thoughts?_ His mind had almost seemed separate from the rush of clarity and decisiveness that had just coursed through him. In a very similar way to the wall-climbing incident of earlier, it was as if a part of his body had detached itself from its normal station. Whatever it was, confidence now surged through his body.

"Yes, thank you." He repeated. "I'm fine. However, I still have quite a few questions to ask if that is ok."

"Of course it is. We began promising you answers, yet we seem to have posed even more questions than we had at the beginning. Please Alarius, ask away."

As interested as he was in what his role was going to be in the future, Alarius was intrigued by the vision he had just returned from. So he decided to begin with that.

"In the vision, I saw the Princess and her guardian escaping. What was their fate?"

Horos began to talk once more. "Did your vision end with a ball bearing hitting the wall?" A nod from Alarius confirmed that it had. "That ball bearing hit a specific brick, which opened up two separate fake passages which looked like they could have been used by Selaia and Zelda. At the same time, it also began a time lock, which adapted the passages to change themselves depending on the path that those two took. By the time Omniel's men had found the passage let alone explored it, Selaia and Zelda had escaped.

For the next few years, Selaia and Zelda remained on the run, hiding from Kardus. I've always suspected one of the main reasons Omniel was put to death was his failure to kill Selaia and Zelda. Kardus did not want to run the risk of witnesses. However, there wasn't really a chance to stand up to him. Kardus' influence stretched throughout Hyrule, and even beyond. There was no chance of them ever returning within their own lifetimes. So Selaia took Zelda across the sea. They were still in danger, but far less so than if they stayed. Tragically though, Zelda did not survive. At the age of eleven she caught a terrible illness and died. Selaia was distraught. Her bond with that girl was depthless. She died only a few years later, most likely through her uncontainable grief." Horos' voice was very sombre.

Alarius hesitated a little before continuing. "I'm sorry to press, I really am, but that sounds somewhat incomplete. If Zelda died, then the lineage of the Royal Family ended I assume? If so, what's their relevance in the grand scheme of things?"

"Not quite. For Zelda was the second child of the royals. They also had a son, named through tradition as Daltus. However, as a result of continuous and escalating arguments with his father, Daltus had left Hyrule a few months before. Kardus tried to find him, but luckily Daltus was also protected by a Sheikah guardian. His name was En-Alor. The pair of them heard of the events in Hyrule, and were so condemned to a life in exile. Yet they survived, and over the years Daltus matured, fell in love and had a family. Ever since then, the Royal Family has been preserved in secret by the very small number of Sheikah that remain. We have lived in frozen wastelands, arid deserts, and various other climates, all for the protection of the Royal Family."

"Right. Stupid question I imagine, but this doesn't mean that-"

"No no." Horos' smile returned. Sorry to disappoint you Alarius.

_Damn_, Alarius thought very briefly. He knew it was very unlikely, but it would have been rather awesome to find out he was royalty. What to ask next though? The narrative obviously still had much more to it, but Alarius felt that it was about time to deal with the question of who exactly Horos was, and how he was able to conjure up memories from hundreds of years ago, or talk to fish. In the end, he decided to kill two birds with one stone and combine both into a single question. He would deal with his own future next.

"So, if the Royal Family has survived for all this time, what is so significant about them now? What has changed to make them relevant? And what is your role in relation to that? How do you have the memories of something that happened several hundred years ago?"

"Ah my boy, many questions, all in quick succession. Though all valid of course. I shall get to the royals in a moment. I think it's best I explain my role first. In relation to the memories, that is an old Sheikah action which we have mastered through generations. Though not many people remember the Sheikah now, when we walked the earth freely, there were many rumours about us, many of which we were happy to let go, as they enhanced reputations of our power.

We are trained, usually from a very young age, to learn different styles of fighting and subterfuge. One of the main ways we do that is through trickery. No more, no less. You caught sight of the flash I created when we were in the alleyways? A cheap trick aimed to disguise and confuse. Likewise with the darkness at the seafront, if indeed you were able to see that. Many of our tricks are nothing more than illusions using light and misdirection.

However, much of that is used so that we can avoid harm, or gain an advantage. We do possess special "powers" if you will, but only because of the way we have been trained. What we can do is achieve different levels of consciousness through manipulation of the senses. For an example, let us take the fish in the tunnel. You were surprised when I said to you that I had told the fish to do something. Why is that?"

Alarius knew his answer would be wrong, but that, he guessed, was the point. "Because fish can't talk."

"Which is, as you may now have guessed, wrong. Fish can talk. If you are trained so that you can hear them and speak to them, fish can be some of the most interesting and witty characters you'll ever meet. Sometimes."

"But how can that work with memories? A memory isn't a sense."

"Of course it is. It's a composite of various senses. If you remember something vividly, it will be because your senses embraced and remembered the events and the feelings that were born from it. I'll prove it. Was the beginning of the vision blurry?"

"Yes"

"That was because Selaia didn't remember it as well, or that a part of the memory has been passed down with slight confusion. Yet while your vision was somewhat impaired, your hearing was not, correct?" A nod confirmed this. "Exactly. For Selaia, or for one of the various Sheikah who have inherited that memory, the early stages of the story are not perfectly clear visually. The words conversely are, because of the significance that they bore. When Selaia had to physically act, she indulged her eyes more intensely, and as such the memory became clearer visually. Do you understand?"

Alarius nodded, convinced by Horos' explanation. "Mind if I ask who got it from Selaia in the first place? It must have been hard if there are so few of you left."

"It was En-Alor. After he heard of Kardus' takeover, he did all he could to get back in contact with Selaia. Eventually he did, but only after Zelda's death. By that point, Selaia was an emotional shell. Over time though, he managed to extract the events from her before she passed away. Ever since then that memory has been passed down between the few Sheikah who remain. Or at least, between the ones that we know are still alive."

"Ok." After hearing Horos' explanation, the events of the night began to make sense. Horos must have heard the crossbow fire when he pushed Alarius down, and his ability to sense the presence of others could also be explained through his heightened senses. As Alarius was thinking about this, Horos continued to speak.

"So, that explains why I can do certain things. Now, to your initial question. The Royal Family is important now because, for many different reasons, we are moving into a new period. A period of vast, rapid change, which may swing either on the side of hope or despair. One of the ancient tales of the past ages revolved around the ascension of so-called "Great Kings". Many have ruled Hyrule, both in the old land and the new. Some of them ruled well, others less so, though none were truly catastrophic. However, once every few generations, Hyrule seemed to produce a truly great monarch, whose rule would inevitably inspire a new age of prosperity.

Now, according to most, this was little short of ridiculous. There was no reason for some monarchs to be born "Great". They simply achieved what they did through hard work, intelligence and through the help of particularly competent advisors and generals. This is obviously true to an extent. Nobody achieves anything great without work, and the Royal Family was happy to dismiss the claims made about so called "Great Kings". Despite this, a select group knew that there was indeed substance to this concept. For at certain times, often when Hyrule was soon to face a period of strife, a child would be born with two characteristics which for some reason led them to achieve great things.

The first of these could be found within their eyes. For a very short period following their birth, between just three and five days, certain monarchical children would have one green eye and one blue eye. After this period, the boys' eyes would match each other and become green, whilst any daughters of royal parents would go the other way, and end up with two blue eyes. This was obviously very convenient, as the changing of their eyes to become "normal" helped to keep what made a great monarch hidden from our enemies.

The second aspect could also be masked from our enemies, because although physical, it remained underneath our monarch's robes. For every Great was born with the same birthmark. The top half of a semi circle, often with a few lines around it. The rising sun, signifying a new dawn, and a new period of hope.

So, as you can guess from those examples, we are in such a position once more. Sixteen years ago, a child was born with these two hallmarks. For the first few years of his life, he was raised by his parents, and we kept watch over them. Then one day an assassin found the family's location, after having killed the Sheikah in charge of them at the time. The boy's parents were dead. By all accounts, he should have been too.

However, I arrived just in time, and without being seen, managed to transport the boy to safety. Then, when the assassin returned to look upon his handiwork, I manipulated the scene so that it appeared to contain three corpses. So, to the rest of the world, the boy is as good as dead, which, though macabre, has worked out well for us. As such, the boy now lives under the protection of two of the people I trust most."

"Where does he live?"

Horos grinned wickedly. "Kardopolis."

Even Dorilineus looked surprised. "Horos, really? What on earth?"

"It's perfect, don't you see? The world's bounty hunters think he's dead. That moron Xephadus is convinced he's going to rule forever. As such, the three of them are ready, and everybody else is concentrating on anything but them. Aluura arrived in Kardopolis four days ago. I've left the rest to them."

Dorilineus kept a look of concern on his face, but eventually shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, I guess they had to be there eventually."

"Excuse me." Alarius interposed sternly, "But what on earth are you two talking about?"

"Sorry Alarius, sorry." Horos picked up in his now jovial tone. "Essentially, this boy has signs of greatness, and the people I've just described have just begun a...campaign if you will, that will hopefully bring about the downfall of the Kardian dynasty, and restore some semblance of equality to the land."

"So why aren't you helping them?"

"Excuse me?"

"If this kid is so great, and if this campaign is as important as it sounds, why aren't you helping them instead of turning up here?"

"Because" Horos' tone became sombre once more. "To this very positive action, there is an equally negative counter reaction. For Narm is waking up. As I mentioned, he never died. He was only petrified, and for the past few years he has been waking up. It is a very slow process, but it is also inevitable. This, Alarius, is where you come in."

So there it was. Alarius finally had some idea of why he had been placed in mortal danger that night. He was somehow connected to the very fate of the land, to the very being who had previously threatened it. He was face to face with his destiny. This time, the inner voice wasn't necessary, Alarius was ready. Without hesitation, he spoke.

"How?

Horos' response this time was not his customary smile, but instead just a simple nod, as if he was acknowledging Alarius' forcefulness.

"The Royal Family has its own phenomena, but so do we. For at the time every great future monarch is born, a parallel child amongst the Sheikah begins to exhibit similar standout characteristics. Every great monarch has been guarded by a great Sheikah, and you Alarius, you are the next great Sheikah."

Alarius was not entirely surprised. This had been the logical way that the conversation had been going, but Horos' vocal confirmation did feel somewhat strange.

"Right. So, obviously, I'm a Sheikah?"

"Correct. You seem very calm."

"It's not entirely unsurprising considering given where the conversation was going. What are these characteristics I possess?"

"Well, they're somewhat complex. Firstly, the physical. The stripe in your hair. Every wondered why it's like that?"

Alarius instinctively stroked the area on his head where the silver stripe began.

"That is the mark of a Royal Guardian. All Sheikah work to protect Hyrule and the Royal Family, but only certain Sheikah can act as a guardian to offspring of the royal couple. However, as Sheikah training is done in secret, nobody knows what your stripe signifies. That is one of the reasons you have never been tracked. For the ceremony binding a Sheikah to his child is conducted in secret, and following that ceremony, a Sheikah chooses to dye his or her hair either silver or black."

"I see." Alarius still felt no shock. What Horos was saying was daunting, but he did not feel overwhelmed. "So how does this relate to Narm?"

"That is somewhat more Dorilineus' territory, so I'll let him explain."

Dorilineus rose from his seat. "When we planning to leave this land, Il-S-Pa and I were wary. Narm was defeated, but we did not feel safe. The possibility of his return seemed to loom over us far more than it did our colleagues. So between us we devised a system that could help Hyrule in case a time of need ever descended upon the land again. The basis of that system was founded in the way in which Narm was sealed.

After his defeat, we moved the body to an island located between Hyrule and Xexionia, and sealed Narm within a great tomb. In order for that tomb to be opened from the outside, it is necessary to place an item belonging to each God in the shrine which exists at the front of the tomb. The specific items can be found in the Potho book I showed you. By doing that, the door to the inner areas will open, and one can bring their self face to face with Narm.

However, Il-S-Pa saw the trouble that this could bring. If the items were to fall into the wrong hands for example, and the tomb was opened for malicious reasons, then that would create many a problem.

Therefore, before we left the land, we set up two safeguards in order to prevent this from happening. We implored all of our colleagues to do two things. The first of these was to select an individual to whom each item could be entrusted. We believe each deity did so in secret. To solve the obvious conundrum that is posed here, I shall reveal to you that unsurprisingly, Horos is a descendent of the Sheikah entrusted by Il-S-Pa to look after his welding hammer, whilst, believe it or not, your mentor Alfonzo is related to the man whom I entrusted my great compass to."

Alarius gave an inward chuckle. Now it was explained to him it wasn't too much of a surprise. The long friendship between Horos and Alfonzo suddenly made much more sense, as did the fact that despite being an exceptional landlord, Alfonzo had never upped sticks to where the real money was. Dear Alfonzo. Humble, lumbering, honest Alfonzo, the prophet of a God.

"In addition to this" Dorilineus continued, we also set up a second safeguard. To each God a great temple was built. Logically, it was assumed that this was where one would wish to return the item if they were to ever communicate with the Gods. Instead, we made sure that each deity also constructed a separate shrine, preferably a secret one, and only there could our items be blessed, and granted the right to be returned to Narm's Island."

It was now Horos' turn to interject. "Luckily, because these steps were taken so long ago, almost everyone came to think of this as little more than myth. The Potho book was written literally hundreds of years prior even to the rise of Kardus. As far as the public was concerned, the story of the sacred items was little more than an add-on to a bedtime story. The shrines were also kept secret, as far as we know anyway. To this day I have very little idea where any of them are bar this one and my own.

Not that this stopped Kardus. Kardus was an intelligent man, and he was also paranoid. For years after he took power he tried to find the items. He failed luckily, meaning that they are still out there. He also fell for the initial trick in believing that each major temple was one of the shrines we were just talking about. So he tore them down. Of all the things that happened under his rule, that was ironically one of the best, as it made his successors believe the problem had essentially been dealt with."

Alarius digested all this information. Again, the logical direction of the conversation seemed somewhat obvious to him. He didn't want to sound too conceited though, so he tested the waters of his theory.

"So presumably, if I'm somehow tied into Narm waking up, I presume it is my job to find these guardians and enlist their help in finding the shrines and taking the items to the island?"

"If necessary. To be honest Alarius, it is not really too much of an issue to me whether or not you ever meet the other guardians. All I care about is the items. If you take the items to the shrines, and get them blessed, I couldn't really care less about the Guardians."

"The obvious question then is how do I find them?"

"The items? Ah well, this is where it gets clever, if our companion won't mind me saying. The compass I used to summon Dorilineus just now is a very special item. As this whole shrine business was in part Dorilineus' idea, he decided to adapt the compass to achieve certain things. So while he never saw where the shrines were built, Dorilineus' compass can direct its user to the place where it is most important they go. Your subconscious wish to find the items will lead the compass to direct you. In addition to that, it glows when you are within a certain distance, though this is sadly a variable thing."

"Very clever." Alarius nodded, directing his approval towards Dorilineus. The God shrugged and smiled in response, opening his palms as if to indicate that this remarkable contraption was nothing special. Just as Alarius was about to continue his questioning, Dorilineus spoke up.

"The Compass is also very important as it is connected to this place on many levels. I shall state now than many of the items you will discover will be necessary in order for you to achieve your goal. However, you will evidently never be able to carry them all at once. Therefore, I have adapted the compass so that it can transport items between here and your location upon touch. Whenever you press a special item against that compass, you shall be mentally transported to this place, and can choose your items accordingly. Beware though, for though your mind may be transported during these periods, your body will still be vulnerable."

Alarius blew out his cheeks. "If this were coming from almost anyone else, I'd think they were crazy. Honestly Dorilineus, that is amazing." Dorilineus was once more the picture of humility in response, a small nod being all he did to soak up the praise.

Yet one question remained. The all important one that Alarius had asked some time before. What did this have to do with him, and his role in Narm's awakening?

Alarius asked this again, and for a second there was silence. Neither man wanted to speak, but eventually it was Horos who did the honours.

"Well, to put it bluntly Alarius, the culmination of this quest will result, we all hope, with you killing Narm before he can be restored to power."

"Say what?"

"Alarius, it's not perfect I know, but-"

"No!" the stroppy young man had returned. "I'm sorry, I've taken a lot in tonight, a lot, but really, this is completely ridiculous. I've never had a day's training, I've never met this future king whom I meant to protect, and now I'm meant to kill a God. How on earth is that fair?"

Dorilineus looked like he was about to speak, but Horos raised his hand to prevent this. In a very similar manner to the way in which he had convinced Alarius to trust him earlier, Horos looked into Alarius' eyes and began to speak.

"It is unfair Alarius, of course it is. I cannot pretend otherwise. However, it is the way things must be. That may seem harsh, but it is irreversible. My people, _our_ people, made a pledge a long long time ago to protect both the Royal Family and their home until the very end. This pledge has often been very hard to maintain, but we have done so, not through choice, but through duty. That is not to say that our bond with the royals is not friendly, but there have been times, I assure you, when we have had doubts.

Yet to give up on that pledge would be to give up on the very things we claim to seek. Peace, prosperity and happiness, these are the things that any normal, benevolent society craves. However, often these principles can be questioned, often they can be threatened, and as such they must be defended. We have the power to do so."

"How can you know that? I've never trained or exhibited anything like you have. Your faith is based on what, a stripe of hair and a prophecy? You're asking me to fight a God!"

"Alarius, I assure you that our faith in you is far more concrete than that. You may not be aware of it, but I assure you that a talent flows inside of you. Tonight, I felt it within you, when you jumped the wall. Do you not remember?"

Alarius did. The focus, the slowing down of time, and the clarity that had descended into his eyes.

"Yes, that was just part of our talent, and you can do it without even training. Alfonzo told me of another time that events happened which seemed out of the ordinary, when the scaffolding collapsed. He told me that he saw you sense the falling scaffolding without looking up, despite its sound being muffled by the rain. He saw you not only throw yourself from under it, but also drag the lady who was walking alongside you away too. Your ability has existed since you were born, and you have used it more times than you think. You have the ability.

Do you not see? It is we who are the lucky ones. Many people have their principles threatened or destroyed, but only a certain few can help to bring them back. Is it daunting? Absolutely. However, I would not have it any other way. I would rather create circumstances than be a victim of them. So please Alarius. I know it is daunting, I know it is unfair, but it's been unfair for all of us who have suffered for the last few hundred years. People such as you and I can make the sacrifices made by others all the more worthwhile. I promise I shall help whenever I can. For now though, you must come to terms with what is ahead."

Alarius was silent, but nodded solemnly, swinging his eyes all around the cave, trying to focus on something to fix on. There was really very little else to say. In one night, all the bedrocks upon Alarius had built has life had shifted. Meanwhile, he was about to do what he'd always wished to. Travel and seek adventure. In a way he was happy. In many other ways he was terrified. The voice of confidence that had spawned within him just a few minutes before seemed to have disappeared. There was little point fighting now though. Gathering all the determination he could, Alarius spoke with all the forcefulness he could muster.

"So, where first?"

Horos and Dorilineus reacted the same way. Both gave a proud, austere nod in response to Alarius' question, and the former responded in turn.

"Wherever the compass points. I imagine it will point north, towards ."

"Which shrine would that be?"

"That will be the shrine of Gor, the Goron deity. However, to leave right now would be foolishness. You are tired, and you need rest. Sleep, and depart when you awake."

"Aren't you coming with me?"

"I'm afraid not. Not right now anyway. There are many things I have to do. You will not be alone though. Dorilineus and I have a few things that will assist your journey. That, however, can be explained later." Horos moved swiftly toward Alarius. "For now, it is best you sleep." As swiftly as he had covered the gap between the two men, Horos exposed his palm, and blew the powder which lay upon it into Alarius' face.

Alarius jerked backwards, but almost instantaneously, he felt a wave of lethargy and exhaustion swarm over him. With all the effort and emotion of the evening finally catching up with him, Alarius could not keep his eyes open for more than a couple of seconds. Finally at rest, the Restorer drifted away into unconsciousness.

**Ah, yes. A very long chapter. There is going to be a little chapter which act as a conclusion to this introductory part of the story, but I felt that 9,000 words were enough for the moment. I hope this chapter wasn't too wordy. I really wanted to get everything explained before we moved on, and this was the only way I could really do so effectively. Expect a short wait for the next chapter. Happy reading (and reviewing, hint hint)!**


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